


Memories Etched In The Sand

by Cozy_coffee



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Adorable, Camping, Community: fivetimesbb, Cute Kids, Easter Egg Hunt, Family, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Feel-good, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Halloween, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, John-centric, Kid Fic, Light Angst, Little Brothers, One Big Happy Family, Sad Ending, Snow Day, Weechesters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-01
Updated: 2013-04-01
Packaged: 2018-12-13 16:47:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11764152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cozy_coffee/pseuds/Cozy_coffee
Summary: Written for the Five Times Big Bang; Five times John Winchester was a great father and one time he was not.





	1. Chapter 1

John Winchester is a good man, yet he is far from perfect. There are times when he is away from his sons for too long, off on a hunt instead of at home. When he drinks far too much until everything around him, including his two sweet boys, blurs away, and he passes out, not bothering to cook dinner and forcing Sam and Dean to fend for themselves.

Sometimes when he is home he barks orders at them as if they are little Marine soldiers; he runs the house more like a drill sergeant then a loving father. Or he outright ignores them and shuts himself away in the study, buried in lore books instead of taking his children to the park where they can jump and skip and be wild little boys, giggling as they swing from the monkey bars, young and carefree at heart.

John often forgets what is important in life. Mostly when his hand wraps around the rim of the bottle, and he drowns his worries in whiskey that burn away the pain and sorrow of losing Mary. But today, he puts aside the loaded shotgun and lays down the book of spells he uses to send the wicked monsters of the world back to hell. Today, he forgets about all the bad things in life and focuses on the most precious thing to him...his sons.

On this autumn day, John Winchester has his arms full with two happy giggling boys and there is nothing more wonderful in the world than the sound of his children laughing. They cuddle into his chest, giggling, and he hugs them close, smiling, reaches out to card his fingers through their hair as he playfully growls at them. His hands softly rub up and down their backs, slow movements soothing and soft, before his fingers tickle them and make them giggle and wiggle in his hold, so carefree and joyful it warms John's heart. 

They’re going trick-or-treating tonight and his boys are so happy! They jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly and cheering delightfully. Dean giggles, carefree and joyful, and Sam smiles, big and bright, a hint of his dimples sparkling on his chubby cheeks. 

They already have their costumes so when John tells them to hurry up and get dressed, so they can go get a lot of yummy candy. Little Sammy makes eager grabby hands at his big brother, asking to be picked up, and Dean chuckles as he hoist Sammy into his arms and carries him off into the bedroom.

While John waits for his boys, letting them get dressed themselves because Sam and Dean said they were ‘big boys’ and could do it without his help, he grins fondly as he listens to the joyful laughter of his oldest son and the excited squeals of his youngest boy.

A few moments later Sammy’s comes running into the room dressed as Robin with a yellow cape and a black mask, and he leaps high in the air and lands back down on his pudgy little legs, exclaiming excitedly “Tada!” Sammy grins, cute dimples digging deep into his cheeks. Not even a second later Dean rushes in, singing “Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Batman!” 

He strikes a pose beside Sammy, little chest puffed out bravely and hands fisted on his hips, grinning brightly, dressed up with his black cape fluttering behind him and his mask covering his adorable face. 

John cheers and claps, beaming, and his boys take a little bow, giggling fondly. He manages to get a photo of them before they leave, and he tucks it away with what little pictures he has left of Mary, stashing them in his journal. By the end of the night he has his arms full once again—this time with two cute sleepy boys who wore themselves out from all the fun. John carries Sam and Dean home, his Batman and Robin, his two little heroes.


	2. Chapter 2

“Dean, buddy, don’t go too far,” John calls to his son. “Stay where we can see you.” 

The little boy hears his father, and does as he’s told--he doesn’t scamper off out of sight--but he doesn’t stop in his quest. The field he’s in is covered with beautiful spring blossoms, each one more beautiful than the last, and he wants to find the perfect flower for Sammy. 

He looks over his shoulder and sees his papa sitting on a blanket. His father is enjoying a delicious glass of lemonade while he holds Sammy. Dean can see his baby brother smiling and hear him laughing while his Dad cuddles him. Knowing that Sammy is having fun and he’s safe, Dean carries on looking for the perfect flower. 

It takes him a few moments-there are many petty sweet smelling blooms, but eventually he finds the right one. Grinning brightly, the little boy runs over to his dad. His daddy catches him around the waist and tugs him into a bear hug, growling affectingly at him and tickling him. Dean giggles and wiggles in his father’s hold. 

“Let me go, daddy!” Dean giggles as he wiggles. “I gotta give Sammy his flower.” He squeals with laughter when his father tickles his tummy and his sound of harmony makes the baby giggles as well, his dimpled cheeks beaming as he grins a toothless smile. John stops his tickle attack and let’s go of Dean who kneels beside him. 

“See Sammy?” Dean says as he holds up the flower. “I picked you a flower, your first one. Do you like it?”

Sammy makes tiny grabby hands for the flower as he smiles at Dean. Dean gives Sam the flower and the baby squeal with bubbly laughter, clearly loving the kindhearted gift. As Dean leans in and kisses the baby’s forehead, John’s heart blossoms with joy and happiness. 

A few years later, it is a sunny summer day. 

They’ve been driving for a long time, and to a little boy with honey-golden freckles and his younger brother who sports adorable dimples when he grins, it feel as if they’ve been stuck in one spot for an eternity. The plastic guns and race cars can only keep them entertained for so long. 

The candy and cookies John knew he shouldn’t have given to his boys, but he didn’t have the heart to say no when they gave him the sad puppy dog eyes, is buzzing in his little boys and they are eager to get out of the car and stretch their legs.

There is a little picnic spot just a mile down the road and there is a playground next to it; John promises to stop so they can eat lunch and play, so Dean keeps his little brother occupied by playing patty-cake. John looks back a few times when he hears Sammy shrieks, and his first instinct is that his boy is hurt, however, the scream is quickly followed by laughter as Sammy giggles while Dean tickles him. 

Smiling fondly, John tootles down the road to the park, and before he can even turn off the engine, his boys are out of the backseat and racing to the playground. He would fuss at them for running off, but Sammy is clutching Dean’s hand, and John knows the older boy would not let anyone, or anything, hurt his little boy. As the boys dangle from the monkey bars and swing, John sets up a picnic lunch of yummy peanut-butter and jelly, potato chips and cool bottles of water. 

Just as he is grabbing the napkins from the knapsack, Batman napkins because Dean won the coin toss with Sammy so he got to pick the superhero they would dine with today—two little tots race over to him, laughing merrily as they each offer him a bundle of Daisy flowers. “For you, daddy!” Sammy cheers as he does a little in-spot wiggle dance, and Dean chimed as he smiles ecstatically “We love you, dad. You’re the best father in the whole world.” 

John is utterly happy. Papa bear tugs his cubs to his chest and cuddles them, smiling as brightly as the sunny sun. 


	3. Chapter 3

It is a special day, Easter, and even though they are not big on celebrating, their papa gives them a special surprise—an Easter egg hunt. 

An excited squeal of delight bright smile to John’s face and a giggle to Dean’s lips. The bubbly laughter singles that the youngest Winchester has found another brightly colored egg not so secretly hidden in the green grass. 

Sam’s fingers easily snatch up the egg, and he looks so sweet and young at heart it warms John’s soul. Sam waves the egg, showing his big brother and Daddy his wonderful discovery, a sweet dimpled grin sparkling on his cheeks as he smiles cheerfully. “Dean, look!” 

“Wow, Sammy, you’re doing great!” Dean cheers proudly. “You’ve found more eggs than me. You’re winning!” 

Sam jumps for joy and his hazel eyes grow wide with surprise. He dashes, searching for more candy filled eggs, and Dean follows after him holding his basket and giggling. 

Everything was wonderful until Sam tripped over his shoelace and feel, scraping his knee. The tears almost feel, but the little boy did not get the chance to cry; Dean was by his side quickly, pressing kisses to his scraped knee. Like magic, the pain was gone and Sam was up on his feet quickly, dashing off to find more Easter eggs. He held Dean's hand as he searched, his fingers locked tight with his big brother's so Dean couldn’t stray from his sight, or his heart. 

John sits on the porch drinking a glass of lemonade, enjoying the pleasant warm day and the cool gentle breeze. The sound of laughter makes him smile, and the sight of Dean passing up eggs easily hidden in plain sight, leaving them for Sam to find just so the younger boy will giggle happily, warms his heart. 

A few days later, the weather has changed. 

“Daddy, can we go outside and play? Pretty, pretty please?” 

Two pairs of cute puppy dog eyes gaze up at him, pleading sweetly. On a dreary, rainy spring day, clouds hung on the horizon with the sun straining to shine through them. John wasn’t a big fan of rain, but he also wasn’t content with staying cooped up in the house all day with two adorable, over-energetic rug rats. Maybe if he waited half an hour for the weather to change then the boys could go play outside. Sadly, it seemed as if luck wasn’t on his side. It kept raining cats and dogs, and the boys were getting anxious from being cooped up all day. 

Every child loves to play in the rain, and Sammy and Dean are no different. John decided not to wait on the rain—he was going to let his boys be young and carefree, if only this one time. Therefore, John bundled his boys up in their cute, yellow rubber boots and raincoats and turned them loose outside for a little splish-splash fun while he watched from the porch. 

Three ducks from the nearby park were waddling in the rain, and when Sammy spotted them crossing the lawn, he dashed after them, squealing with delight. Dean was already chasing after him, the big brother in his soul telling him to stick close to Sammy and watch out for him to make sure he did not get hurt. 

John expected the wild ducks to fly off, but to his surprise, they splashed around in a big puddle with his little boy, quacking happily and fluffing their feathers merrily as Sammy giggled. One friendly duck even let Sam pet him, which set the four-year-old boy off into a giggle fit of bubbly laughter, his angelic, sweet face sparkling and his tiny dimples showing as the rain fell down from the heavens. 

Dean was nearby, playing but also keeping a look out for Sammy, just in case one of the ducks tried anything funny; those waterfowl quacks could bite his brother and if that happened then Dean was gonna pluck all their feathers out! No one messes with his little brother and gets away with it. 

He giggled happily while splashing around in a rain puddle and attempting to catch water droplets on his tongue. Dean found an even bigger puddle, and he took a high leap and jumped into it, cheering “Geronimo!” as he landed in the splashy puddle. 

For a little while, John watched his boys having fun, smiling ecstatically. When they called to him, asking him to join in their fun, the kid at heart came out. He snatched up Sammy and gave him a piggyback ride while he carried Dean in his arms, and he leaped and splashed in the puddles as the sounds of his sons’ laughter warmed his heart. 

Eventually, after an afternoon of joyful fun, the Winchester boys were worn out. John took them inside, and while they dried off and put on warm, cozy clothes, he made them lunch, their favorite—grilled cheese sandwiches with creamy tomato soup. Snuggled up together on the couch, Sammy, Dean, and John enjoyed a hot lunch to warm up, followed by cuddles while watching cartoons—a perfect end to a rainy spring day.


	4. Chapter 4

John Winchester is a man who knows how to roll with the punches. A simple salt-and-burn can easily turn sideways in a heartbeat and everything can go to Hell in a hand-basket in the blink of an eye. So this early morning, the first day of spring, when he looks outside expecting to see sunny sunshine and beautiful blooming flowers, he’s not shocked to find a foot of snow covering the ground. The boys were already up and at ‘em, tugging on the hem of his shirt and bouncing with excitement, begging to go outside and play. 

“Please, Daddy?” Sammy asks, giving him the puppy dog eyes and an adorable pout, while Dean is already pulling on his snow boots, as if he knows John will say yes. 

Maybe it’s the magic of winter in the air or the sight of his boys smiling hopefully, looking like the kids they are meant to be instead of the hunters they will one day become, but something sparkles in John’s soul and he feels like a kid again. “Okay, boys, let’s go play.” 

Sammy bounces with excitement and starts to run out the door, wearing only his wittle footie jimmies, but John snatches him up, laughing fondly as he snuggles his son. “Sammy, buddy, you can’t go outside dressed like that.” He tickles the toddler’s tummy, and Sammy wiggles happily and giggles. 

“Yeah, Sammy,” Dean chimes in, smiling. “You have to dress warmly; it’s cold outside.” He’s already wearing his coat and boots, ready for a day of play. John’s a little surprised by the kid speed, but proud. He needs to get dressed himself so he hands Sammy over to Dean who helps him put on his clothes, and it’s a struggle, given that the little toddler is so excited he won’t stop wiggling. 

By the time John’s ready to go his boys are bouncing like little bunnies, giggling as they hop in place. Grinning, he puts his hand on the doorknob, saying, “Ready, set…” 

The boy’s sequel with laughter, ready to burst through the door. John turns the handle and opens the door, cheering, “GO!”

He watches with a smile and a warm heart as his boys greet the winter wonderland with a cheer of bubbly laugher and bright grins. 


	5. Chapter 5

Pitching a tent made out of Batman blankets, rolling out cozy snuggable sleeping bags on the soft grass, looking up at the dazzling star-covered sky, and catching fireflies—all those little things were what made this moment oh-so-very special. More so was the sweet, heartwarming sight of his boys, their adorable smiling faces beaming with joy as they roasted S’mores. 

In their youthful eyes, this night was pure fun and magic. There was laughter and joy, and grinning ecstatic smiles—nothing nightmares to contend with. It was them and their daddy, a moment of happiness—a heartfelt family moment, something that came very often. 

Sitting around the small campfire in the woods, John chuckled as he watched his boys happily gobbling the gooey, delicious S’mores. Sammy’s mouth was smeared with melted chocolate and marshmallow, as were his fingers, and the little five-year-old was wiggling with excitement as he enjoyed the yummy treat. He sat in his Spiderman lawn chair, humming as he ate the chocolate goodness, almost sounding as if he were making nom, nom, nom sounds. 

Dean was enjoying the wonderfully messy sandwich of chocolate, graham crackers and roasted marshmallows just as much as his brother, if not more; his green eyes sparkled with delight, and his freckled, angelic face displayed the utter elation he was feeling. He was squirming with eagerness in his seat as he looked up at the twinkling star-lit sky. Dean’s fingers were sticky with goo and his lips were sprinkled with gobs of chocolate, of which he happily licked away. 

For John, the sight of his boys was both adorably cute and heartwarming. It had been a few months since he had seen them this happy; something he missed greatly. “Are those good, boys?” He asked with a smirking smile. 

Dean nodded and took a big bite, finishing off his treat and smiling around the mouthful of chocolate and graham cracker.

Sammy, having finished his S'more as well, licked his sticky fingers clean of marshmallow goodness before turning to John and smiling with a bright grin. “S’yummy Daddy!” he cheered, a slight lisp in his speech as the result of him losing his two front teeth a week ago. 

Sam’s face was lit up with delight, grinning with the biggest smile; the small gap where his teeth use to be made him look all the cuter. Dean playfully teased Sam about his missing teeth, and Sam answered by snatching up his hand and slobbering all over Dean’s fingers, licking away the sweet yummy mess of marshmallow and chocolate, before nibbling on them as if they were a tasty treat. 

“Gross, Sammy!” Dean’s nose scrunched up in disgust, even as he giggled with earnest warmth. 

John suddenly had a flashback to years ago, when Sammy was an infant and his baby teeth were coming in. The little one was having a screaming fit, inconsolable in every way. John had put some baby Orajel on Sammy’s gums and that seemed helped a little bit as Sam’s wailing died down slightly, but he still cried with soft hiccups. 

It was clear the medication had worked but not nearly enough to soothe the entire ache. Dean, bless his young heart, had tried to help make Sam feel better; he had made funny faces, offering Sammy a pacifier, as well as his favorite cuddly teddy bear, yet nothing seemed to work. Not until he had offered his fingers as a last resort, in hopes it would calm his wailing brother. 

Thankfully, that had done the trick; Sammy had happily gummed away on Dean’s fingers, his cries long gone as his tears dried up. As the baby had nibbled on the fingers, Dean had made a wrinkle-nosed expression, giggling with joy, pleased that he had soothed his baby brother’s pain. That night, John had remained awake, watching his boys. He smiled with pride as Dean stayed slumbering, cuddled up next to Sammy, the baby still contently gnawing on Dean’s fingers. 

“I want some more S’mores!” 

Sam’s cheery voice pulled John from his thoughts. He gazed at his boys; both were giving him the puppy dog eyes, Sammy more than Dean, yet Dean was pulling out the full pout while Sammy’s big hazel eyes plead for more yummy chocolate goodness. John could never say no to his boys. With a smile, he handed them a new marshmallow, and they took the treat with a grin, scouring it on the metal rod and roasting it over the campfire. 

While they roasted S’mores, Sammy leaned over, placing his head on his brother’s shoulder, one arm wrapped around Dean’s waist to give him a resting hug. 

Laughing, Dean affectionately teased, “You’re a cuddle monster, Sammy.” 

“I wuv hugs,” Sammy agreed with a smile, not bothering to deny it. 

Dean returned the embrace with a stronger arm around Sam and pulled him closer, hugging him tightly. “I wuv hugs too, Sammy.” 

Once again, John’s mind took him back to years ago, remembering an afternoon in the old house. Mary had been seated with Dean on the floor of his bedroom, cradling Sammy in her arms, gently rocking the little infant and laughing sweetly as Dean played with his Army men. The little boy had worn a blue shirt with a teddy bear iron-on adhered to the front, ‘I WUV HUGS’ was written in the middle of the bear’s tummy. Mary had smiled lovingly at him, looking beautiful as she sat beside him. To John, she had appeared near angelic. Standing in the doorway, he thought about how pristinely perfect his life was at this moment, watching his wife and his children interact. 

Sensing his dad’s presence, Dean had jumped up from the floor, running toward John, throwing his arms around his father’s legs. “Hug, daddy! Hug!” he had pled with a smile, his sweet freckled face beaming with joy. John had picked him up, and Dean snuggled into his dad’s embrace, hugging his neck tightly. 

“You wuv hugs, don’t you, Buddy?” John had asked, snuggling his son to his chest, and Dean had merely answered by hugging him with a fiercer pressure his tiny arms could hold. John had dropped to sit down beside Mary with Dean on his lap, watching with a smile as his son continued to play with his Army men, the little boy making adorable action sound effects. As John had leaned over to kiss Mary’s cheek, he had begun to thank his lucky stars for the perfect life he had. 

“Yummy!” 

The cheerful exclaim from his youngest brought John out of his memories. The boys were both enjoying the sweet treat, their young faces lighter with happiness and pure joy. John felt a burst of satisfaction at how delighted his boys had become with such a simple pleasure, even as an ache filled his heart. His beautiful wife was gone, murdered by a demon in the middle of the perils of the twilight hours. John had sworn to himself that he would find her killer and send that son of a bitch back to hell. He would keep that promise…or die trying. 

John couldn’t bring himself to focus on the darkest times—not now, not when his boys looked so happy and adorably joyful, and limitlessly carefree. Precious, happy moments like these came so rarely; it was best for him to savor them now...while he still had a chance. 

Leaning over to press a kiss to each of the boys’ foreheads, John joined his sons in the fun of roasting S’mores, smiling with love and joy as he watched Sam and Dean smiling ever-so brightly. 


	6. Chapter 6

The pain in Dean’s side remains. It is a long way from relieved; however, the ache is temporarily numbed by the comfort of Sam by his side, holding an ice pack to his busted ribs while pressing gentle kisses to his cheek. Sam is still young and innocent enough to believe in fairy tales, thinking that kisses are magic and can take away any amount of sorrow. A part of Dean has done that in recent days, believed in magic, standing out in the rain with his face to the heavens, hoping the water would wash the pain away. 

It is foolish to believe such lies. Yet the endearment Sam gives him is kindhearted enough to soothe the sting of busted ribs, but not fully remove the sorrow. Dean hisses, biting back the aching fire blazing up his side. 

Dad was drunk, more and more as the days have become filled with sorrow; hunting has taken over his life, and slowly one drink became two, and so on, until the anger and sadness that had been repressed snapped. Dad had one to many. Tragically, Dean got caught in his sight. The only blessing in the beating was that Sam was not home at the time, and Dean had the opportunity to come up a lie about getting into a scrap with the local youth bully before his sibling returned. Sam doesn’t know about the abuse and the hunting lifestyle consumed with monsters and Dean is not ready to tell him the truth about either. 

Therefore, for now, Dean closes his eyes and takes comfort in Sam’s kindness and the comfort he offers. With shaky fingers, he gently presses his palm to Sammy’s cheek; his little brother smiles big and bright with sweet puppy-dog eyes full of love and hope and fondness, and Dean feels his heart break just a little bit as he takes a shuddering breath.

He wants to take Sam and run far, far away, where he will be safe and can have a normal, happy life away from monster and demons and a father who becomes the monster when the whisky burns in his blood. He wants his little sibling to live happily ever after. He doesn’t know when, or if ever, they will have a normal life, so for now, Dean pecks a soft kiss to Sammy’s cheek and the younger boy smiles so brightly it is like basking in the sunny sunlight. 

Dean smiles kindly, and tugs him close enough to nearly squish Sam in his tight embrace, his hand curling into Sam’s hair and stroking tenderly. Sam goes boneless in his arms, calm and relaxed, snuggled into his side and Dean feels blissful despite the discomfort of his bruised ribs. Leaning in, Dean kisses Sammy’s forehead, and for a moment in time, the world is not such a terrible place. He hopes for happily ever after, even as his life has become a living nightmare. 

♥ END ♥

**Author's Note:**

> [Written for the Five Times Big Bang](https://fivetimesbb.livejournal.com/)


End file.
